I'm trying to get my newsletter done so I can send it early next week. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble. No internet service at our condo. We got here yesterday -- and my husband immediately called to get hooked up.

Ha ha! The earliest they can do it is NEXT Thursday. A week from today. It reminds me of this Brian Regan video.

I first met Mary, my husband's youngest sister, shortly after we started dating. She was the first person I'd ever known with Down Syndrome. To me, she looked funny, she talked funny and she chewed with her mouth open. It made me uncomfortable.

Back then, kids like her weren't mainstreamed. They didn't exist. And I had no experience dealing with this human imperfection. So I kept my distance, not wanting to interact with this flawed individual. But Mary wouldn't let me do that. She refused to give up on me. And her charm worked as she wormed her way into my heart.

Feeling slammed? Let me guess. You’re under intense pressure to meet your monthly numbers. It’s impossible to keep up with all the reports. You’ve got an open territory, your new hire is struggling and all this new technology is overwhelming.

Your customers are changing too. Getting on their calendar is increasingly difficult. They sometimes disappear into black holes for months on end. They’ve upped their expectations, yet seem fixated on the bottom line.

If you're planning on being at Dreamforce this year, I'll be speaking there. This event is huge. Last year 130,000+ people came from around the world. Put on by SalesForce.com, it is THE EVENT for people in the sales space.

I'm speaking on Wednesday morning. Here are the details:

#1 Competitive Edge in Today's Sales World

October 15th, 9 am PT (Wednesday)

Marriott Marquis, Yerba Buena Salon 7

With today's escalating buyer expectations and ever-changing business environment, it's tough to stay at the top of your game. I kick off the session with a focus on the singular skill that virtually guarantees a successful career.

If you've struggled with some ups and downs in your sales results, check out my recent interview with Colleen Francis. She's the author of Nonstop Sales Boom as well as a highly respected colleague.

In our conversations, she shares some insightful ideas that are guaranteed to get you thinking.

JILL: Why did you decide to write Nonstop Sales Boom now?

COLLEEN FRANCIS: Over the last years, I've seen an increasing trend that is impacting most businesses I work with. Time and time again, prospects and clients will say to me, "We don't need you or any consulting help. We're having our best month or best quarter ever."

Of course I'm happy for their success. But all too often, a quarter or two later, we speak again and they say, "Now we're having our worst quarter ever, can you help us?" They're struggling but they didn't see it coming and couldn't prevent it.

Did you know that sales pros spend 3.9 hours/day doing stuff that isn’t selling? [That’s straight from this 2014 study.] One of the biggest time suckers of all is dealing with the minutiae required to get proposals and contracts negotiated and signed.

Unfortunately, the longer it takes, the bigger the risk that the deal will completely fall apart, turning into a "closed lost" sale. Not good!